Tricare won't pay for TBI therapy for troops!

As someone whose husband is currently in Afghanistan, I will say that I am angry, sad and embarrassed by this. How can we send our soldiers into a war and then not pay for the most common, life-changing injury they sustain? Disgusting. 

Official military stats say 115,000 traumatic brain injuries, though some estimate it being closer to 400,000.

So why won't they pay? On the record, Tricare says it's not about money but that there's not enough proof that cognitive therapy works - even though there's tons of evidence showing it does. One of their main standbys is that the treatment soldiers receive is "too individualized so it's hard to pinpoint the results." SERIOUSLY? If the treatments weren't customized for each soldier they likely wouldn't work as well! Some veterans might have memory issues, others might have issues with processing speed, some might have attention issues...you get the point. My guess is that if the care WASN'T personalized then Tricare would complain that the cognitive therapy was too general.

And despite the fact that TriCare says it's not about money, someone who was in the actual meeting to decide said that cost definitely played a roll. Also, Robert Gates (Defense Secretary) has in the past said that the military is being "eaten alive" by skyrocketing medical bills. 

Come on! I don't care what party you're affiliate with (or neither), you've got to admit that this is just shameful. We're kicking sand in the faces of our troops - and they've had enough sand to last them a lifetime.

Here's the article:

http://www.propublica.org/article/pentagon-health-plan-wont-cover-brain-...